Focus on developing indigenous technologies, says Railways Minister

It is not enough to only manufacture products but we should equip ourselves to develop indigenous technology and be a part of global supply chain, says Suresh Prabhu, Union Railways Minister.

Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry conference on ‘Decoding Tamil Nadu — The Way Forward’, Prabhu said while the country has robust manufacturing hubs, we do not have indigenous technologies that can compete with our counterparts. “Only if we develop our technologies, we will be able to move towards sustainable future,” he said.

Keeping in line with this, the Centre is in talks with global companies, who will develop technology to build 600-km ultra high speed railway transport system that will run on levitation technology. “So far six companies have come forward,” Prabhu added. The Centre is in the process of selecting a company for the project, where it will work with Indians right from technology development to manufacturing. Another project for a high speed, 350 km an hour railway at an investment of ₹1 lakh crore is in the pipeline and Japan is one of the major investors, he said.

Stating that Tamil Nadu has all ingredients to be one of the developed States of India, Prabhu, said it should also think in terms of being a part global supply chain and change its approach to accommodate changing business processes.

e-Governance portal soon

Shilpa Prabhakar, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Industrial Guidance and Export Promotion Bureau, Government of Tamil Nadu, said the State government is looking to ease issues regarding clearances for setting up business in the State. An e-Governance portal, where businesses can file and pay for clearances online, is a first step in that direction. It will be launched in another two to three months, she added.